feeds from sacw.net
print versionDate: 15.04.2020
To
Shri Uddhav Thackeray
Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Office of the Chief Minister, Mantralaya,
Madame Cama Road, Churchgate,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400020
Subject: Memorandum regarding adequate, urgent response by the government to the condition of migrant workers in Maharashtra in the wake of the COVID-19 Lockdowns
Respected Sir,
We, the undersigned representatives of this network of organisations working with migrant workers, in this memorandum would like to bring to your kind attention the severity with which this population has been affected by the lockdowns imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown, while necessary in curbing the infectious disease, has exponentially affected the migrant worker’s movement across states, access to water, food, healthcare, shelter and work.
The group of migrants in Maharashtra is much larger than official estimates, and includes both intra- and inter-state migrants. Most of them work in the informal economy and live in rental accommodations. They work as daily wage laborers, head-loaders, construction workers, street vendors, domestic workers, security guards, small-scale manufacturing workers in recycling, scrap and garment industries, among other jobs. Many of them have not been paid wages for March, and have no resources to buy food or groceries. They are not members of any unions or associations, who could bring their issues to the foreground. These workers are not very familiar with the city at large, and are struggling to get sustainable access to adequate ration, and looking for the possibility to return home and for support in wage payments and other cash assistance. In many cases, they have ration cards at the source, but due to the non-portability of these entitlements in the migration destination, they have been left entitlement-less. Many migrants in the cities of Maharashtra tend to be single men, who come to make an earning and support families back home. They are often ostracised by the local community and considered as threats. Others migrate with families, including women and young children, who often also work in similarly precarious conditions. The government should restore public faith in the migrant workforce, their indispensability for the city, and step up to the task of providing them physical and emotional security during these challenging times.
We thank you for making the suggestion that transport facilities be made available for migrants in your last video meeting with the Prime Minister. We strongly urge the Government of Maharashtra to not let these workers become stateless, jobless and shelterless, and address their needs in an urgent manner.
1. Migrant shelters
Status:
a. While the government of Maharashtra has established a number of shelters, workers are severely depressed and afraid, and would like to remain in environments familiar to them. They are concerned that if they are moved, they would not be able to return to their rental accommodation, after the shelters are closed down.
b. They are also worried that these shelters in itself would become hotspots of infection.
c. There are not enough shelters, and they are not situated in migrant-dense areas,
making them inaccessible for workers in the context of a complete lockdown. Most of the shelters are located in the urban areas, and such provisions are severely lacking in the peri-urban industrial zones around big cities like Mumbai and Pune, where many workers continue to live inside factory premises, small manufacturing units and on construction sites.
Demand:
a. Shelter-like conditions could be provided to workers where they are, rather than undertaking internal displacement, of an already vulnerable group. This will ensure that they are able to stay together during this difficult time.
b. In case of existing shelters, they should be maintained as per social distancing norms and with utmost hygiene to prevent them from becoming centres of the spread of infection.
2. Universalisation of PDS and nutrition support
Status:
a. Many migrant workers are unable to go to shelters providing cooked food or the government’s Shiv Bhojan Thalis, as they are reprimanded by police on the main streets, and sent back home.
b. The cooked food provided by the municipal corporation at the ward level has yet not reached many localities. Many migrant families with children have reported to us that the cooked meals are not fit for consumption of children.
c. Children living on construction sites especially need adequate nutrition.
Demand:
a. The provision of dry ration and kerosene, over cooked food would be more suited to this situation, and hence universalisation of PDS is most urgent
b. Migrant workers, who may or may not have a ration card, should be given access to adequate foodgrains through the public system. At this time of crisis, no eligibility criteria of identification and domicile should be demanded from those who need ration. Aadhar card with their coverage of 95% of the population could be used to avail PDS, without biometric verification. No worker should be turned away even if s/he is not able to produce Aadhar. Temporary coupons could also be provided to avail ration for the coming three months.
c. The collector offices should prepare lists of beneficiaries and ensure a regular delivery of these entitlements as per universal coverage and compliance. Variable standards in delivery, unevenness of coverage, duplication, wastage and gaps would be avoided by this centralised system.
d. Community kitchens should be set up for those who do not have access to cooking materials, particularly for the homeless, and those restricted to their work-cum-living spaces like construction workers and their families.
3. Health, water and sanitation
Status:
a. Workers’ immunity is compromised currently, both due to the lack of food resources over the last three weeks, and a range of other long lasting issues like regular exposure to toxic work environments, lack of occupational safety measures and malnutrition. This has made them vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.
b. Workers living in migrant concentrations like industrial zones, construction sites and unregistered units, are not really served by the municipal services, and hence do not have adequate access to healthcare, water and sanitation.
Demands:
a. Given the nature of the COVID virus that spreads rapidly in the absence of hygienic practices like frequent hand washing, workers should get access to adequate water supply, and bathing and washing soap. This can be done through the provisioning of water tankers, mobile toilets etc. In some settlements, water drums or tubs have been installed at the entrance with soaps. These initiatives could be built upon.
b. Existing municipal health posts in these clusters would need to be strengthened to provide affordable healthcare to migrants for common ailments, to avoid visits to larger hospitals where risk of a COVID infection is higher. Private clinics in these areas should also be urged to open up facilities. To facilitate identification and outreach to migrant clusters, government can work with the help of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), who have on-field networks.
c. Charitable hospitals must be roped in to provide treatment free of cost. Anti-viral drugs should be made available free or at subsidised costs.
d. Mental health services, especially counselling services through helplines should be made available for all, including workers and migrants, who are feeling vulnerable, because of being separated from their family and stuck in hostile environments.
4. Labour helpline
Status:
a. There is a deep sense of helplessness and uncertainty within migrant communities due to the forced isolation and lack of access to reliable information. This had led to serious panic leading to intense outbursts including what happened in Bandra on 14th April.
b. The state government in cooperation with the MCGM has instituted a helpline for migrant workers and homeless persons, requiring assistance of food and shelter in Mumbai city. This is however restricted to Mumbai city.
c. Many CSOs are stretched beyond their capacity with such calls from across Maharashtra.
Demand:
a. Such a helpline should be instituted for the entire state of Maharashtra, particularly given the high rate of intra-state migration within the state borders.
b. The helpline must also go beyond relief measures, and provide reliable information on policy announcements at state and central level. It should also address issues of wage denial, lay-offs, terminations, work-place discrimination, police brutality and sudden forceful evictions.
c. A centralised system from the state government would help streamline relief efforts that CSOs could then work in tandem with.
d. Given that cities in Maharashtra are hubs of migration from across the country, it would be effective to have the helpline accessible in a number of languages, particularly Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali and Oriya.
5. Repatriation to rural homes
Status:
a. In these times of uncertainty, migrant workers would like to be back home to the safety of their family and community. There is no clarity on when public transport and state borders would open up. This has created a sense of massive panic and fear of not being able to see their families again.
b. Workers and their food security are also dependent on the upcoming harvest season. While cities take longer to reboot, workers would want to work on fields, in order to access food supplies and alternate sources of livelihood in the home village.
Demand:
a. We urge you to make arrangements for their return, in the form of safe and free transport options.
b. Co-operation of the police would be crucial for this process. It should be ensured that they are sensitised to the situation and the needs of the migrants
c. The fear of spread of epidemic to rural areas should not be the reason to hold migrant workers back in the city where there is no work and therefore wages. The ones who have spent time in camps for the 21 day period of lockdown are safe to be repatriated and the ones who need testing should be tested and repatriated.
d. For workers to be convinced to remain in the cities, the state would need to build their trust in the urban governance, by extending support and assuring them of their safety, instead of invoking police action.
6. Wages and cash transfer
Status:
a. Workers have lost wages and many of them have been summarily fired from jobs. The health crisis has merged into their job insecurity, and they are in immediate need for institutional protection of wages.
b. Workers have existing debts, of money they may have borrowed to commute to cities for work. In the absence of livelihood and wages, these debt burdens will multiply,
Demands:
a. Employers need to be mandated to pay all arrears, by establishing a fast track legal aid and grievance response system which is able to assist workers facing wage denial and forced retrenchments.
b. It is imperative that migrant households are assisted through this difficult time, with the help of cash transfers.
c. Rebooting the workers is in the interest of the economy of Maharashtra, that has already suffered a great deal because of the pandemic and the lockdown. The informal economy is heavily dependent on migrant workers, without whom sectors like manufacturing, construction and informal services would come to a complete standstill.
We appeal to the Government of Maharashtra with great urgency that this situation be assessed with utmost seriousness such that this population is not left to fend for themselves. We highly recommend that local administrations of migrant dense areas under your command develop stringent protocols to ensure that migrant workers are provided adequate protection and assistance through this period. Several of our organisationss have been working since long with different vulnerable communities in Mumbai, Pune, as well as in other parts of Maharashtra. They have contacts within the communities, knowledge of their needs, and enjoy their trust. We request that you grant us an appointment so that we can personally represent our suggestions as well as discuss how best we can support the government in this direction at this challenging time. We trust you will take all the necessary steps for the same.
Sincerely Yours,
1. Shweta Damle, Habitat and Livelihood Welfare Association
2. Amrita Sharma, Aajeevika Bureau
3. Amita Bhide, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
4. Bilal Khan, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao
5. Brinelle D Souza, Kamayani Mahabal, Avinash Kadam, Jan Swasthya Aabhiyan
6. Brijesh Arya , Beghar Adhikar Abhiyan
7. Roshini Nuggehalli & Marina Joseph, YUVA
8. Dr. Swati Raju, Associate Professor, Mumbai School of Economics
9. Chandan Kumar, Hamal Panchayat, Pune, Ang Mehnati Kashtkari Sangharsh Samiti
10. Vasudevan, Trade Union Solidarity Committee
11. Jammu Anand, Nagpur Municipal Corporation Employees Union
12.. Sitaram Shelar, Center for Promoting Democracy
13. Uday Bhat, Maharashtra Rajya Sarvashramik Mahasangh
14. Meena Gopal, Professor, TISS
15. Manish Jha, Professor, TISS
16. Soumitra Ghosh, TISS
17. Sivakami Muthusamy, Professor, TISS
18. Anjali Monteiro, Professor, TISS
19. KP Jayasankar, Professor, TISS
20. Vijay Raghvan, Professor, TISS
21. Dr Lakshmi Lingam, TISS, Mumbai
22. Vaijayanta Das, Professor, Nirmala Niketan and Director, Nirmaan
23. Hussain Indorewala , Assistant Professor, Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute Architecture and Environmental Studies
24. Ritu Dewan, Retired Professor and Director, Department of Economics, University of Mumbai
